This Time
by queen-sheep
Summary: It's a classic story, and they're the classic characters. But this time Scorpius is a bit too grey, and Albus and Rose burn too bright, and maybe that's why they're perfect for each other. Gen.


_Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition: Round 13. Prompts used: "It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are."- e.e. cummings, Dialogue: "Let it go.", truth, nightmare, flaw_

* * *

You've heard this story before. It's been told, over and over again, countless times.

Two boys and a girl, young and innocent, off to conquer the world. Look how bright they shine. Look how they smile, how they laugh. Isn't it wonderful?

And then they grow up and they fight and they grieve, and slowly, they break apart. They've defeated the monsters, and piece by piece, they tape themselves back up again. It's a classic story, with classic characters.

But this time, the story is a bit different.

This time, there are no monsters in the dark, except maybe the ones they hold on to themselves.

This time, the story starts with a girl and boy who burn too bright, and a boy who is just a little too grey.

-X-

He sees them one day in his dull, grey world; bright and vivid and brilliant.

They stand out, red and green, and he can't help but be drawn to them. There are two of them, a boy and a girl. They're standing close together, smiling gently at each other with shoulders brushing, tangled in their own little world. But it only lasts for a moment; there's a vibrant flash of red_red_hair and green_green_eyes, and then they leave. Gone.

His world returns to its place, snaps back onto its axis with a jolt, and the grey seeps back into place.

"I'll be going now," he says.

His father nods. "Be careful," he says, and his tone is low, a warning.

His mother smiles at him. "Just be yourself Scorpius," she says.

Be myself, he muses to himself. How could he do that, if he didn't even know who he was?

But Scorpius doesn't say that aloud. He keeps it inside himself, bottling it up. The three of them exchange hugs and more words, and then he gets on the train and they disappear from view.

Inside, there isn't a square inch of space that isn't packed with students. He gets his own little bubble though. Children watch him warily and part when they notice him. Scorpius ignores this, pressing down the spark of bitterness that threatens to surface. It does him no good to show or feel emotions.

He's rather used to it by now.

Then, out of the corner of his eyes, he sees it again. Red and green, a bright splash of colour in his world.

It's the boy and the girl, and they're in a strangely empty compartment, and as he watches them, they turn and they notice him too.

"Who're you?" the boy asks.

"Scorpius," he says simply.

The girl gives him a once over, then nods her head.

"Well, come on in them," she says.

He hesitates, before slipping into the compartment.

-X-

They end up together in the same house. They smile at each other across the table, and for once, the space between them and the rest of the students doesn't matter as much. The three of them have each other. Together, they read books and do homework and relax in the common room. Together, they laugh and gripe about teachers. It's the most he laughed in years, and it's a refreshing change of pace.

Scorpius has finally found a place he belongs.

The days stretch long and peaceful in front of him. These days, he can even see colour. Not all the time. He sees it in Albus and Rose, the brilliance that caught his eye in the first place. But he also sees it sometimes when he's not with them, in the walls and the sky.

It's a beautiful place.

And everything is wonderful and perfect and Scorpius thinks that his world is right for once.

As the year settles to a close, they leave for the summer with promises of letters and meet ups.

-X-

Albus wants to be on the team. It's second year now, and the Quidditch Tryouts is all he'll talk about.

Scorpius doesn't bother. He doesn't like sports much and it seems like a waste of time. Rose shares his sentiments. Albus, however, is raring to go. For weeks and weeks on end, it seems the only thing he'll talk about is the tryouts.

They let him go on about it with eye rolls and the occasional comment.

When the time of the tryouts come, Albus bounces onto field, shiny new broom on the ready. Scorpius and Rose wait on the stands, giving him thumbs up and encouraging smiles.

Albus makes it onto the reserves.

-X-

"Albus, calm down," he says.

"I am calm," he says back, but his posture is stiff, and his eyes are wide. He grips the broom too hard, and his breaths are starting to come out short and uneven.

"Just, give me the broom," Scorpius says, wrapping a hand on the handle and tugging it gently. Albus holds onto it firmly.

"No," he says. "I just need more practice. Then I'll get onto the team and everything will be normal again."

"Stop it Al!" Rose says. "This is going too far! You're obsessed! You've been doing nothing but Quidditch for weeks now! In all your spare time you're out here"

Albus yanks the broom away from Scorpius, posture hunched up defensively.

"You don't understand!" he yells, dark hair dishevelled. "I have to be able to do this!"

"I don't understand," Rose yells back. "Why are you doing this?"

Albus doesn't answer, and the silence roars in his ears. The two of them watch him, waiting.

"I have to be on the team," he says, so softly they almost can't hear him. "I can't be flawed. I won't be."

"Let it go," Scorpius begs. "You don't need to be perfect. You belong with us, remember? There's nothing in the world that'll change that."

"Please," Rose whispers.

Albus's grip loosens on the broom, and he lets it fall to the ground.

-X-

Rose has trouble sleeping.

She doesn't say anything about it, but they can tell. The circles under her eyes are dark, and her movements are sluggish. Her work, normally brilliant and well thought out, are turning sloppy and they can only watch as she plunges into a downward spiral.

They corner her one day.

"Tell us the truth," Albus demands. "We want to help you, but we can't if you don't let us!"

She snaps.

"Tell you the truth?" she asks, voice dangerously low. "Do you want me to tell you how I can always hear my mum and dad screaming from nightmares? Do you want me to tell you the things I hear and see, because they're not pretty, okay? Do you want me to tell you how _I_see those things now, whenever I close my eyes?"

She pauses in her heated speech, letting out a helpless sigh with a quiet, "Help me. I… I don't want to see those things anymore."

That night, they sneak her into the boy's dorm, and they cram together in one bed.

She giggles as they squabble or bedspace and elbows are jabbing in every direction.

-X-

Sometime in fourth year, he receives a letter. His parents have divorced. He blinks down at the letter in shock, barely noticing the trembling in his fingertips.

It's not a messy affair. They had both agreed to it calmly, without so much as a word to him.

His world wavers between grey and colourful, and he doesn't know what to think anymore.

As he reads the letter over and over again, he feels Albus and Rose come up to stand by his shoulders. He reads over the words one last time, setting the letter down, and turning to face them.

He takes a deep breath, and decides. He thinks he likes the colourful world better.

-X-

It's a classic story, with classic characters, but they're a bit different this time. It's the story of a boy and a girl who burned too bright, and a boy who was too grey.

It's the story of a boy and a girl who almost burned to the ground, and the boy who saved them.

It's the story of a boy who was alone, and the boy and the girl who pulled him out of it.

And this story is just beginning.


End file.
